Enrollment
246
Elementary
DISTRICT 283 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LETCHER COUNTY·NCES 210336000900
Cowan Elementary School
3125 Hwy 931 S, Whitesburg, KY 41858 · (606) 633-7195 · Letcher County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL246 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 48% of Kentucky public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Kentucky public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
192 students
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 63%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 21 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 28 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 23 | 9% |
| Grade 3 | 26 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 24 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 33 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 25 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 38 | 15% |
| Grade 8 | 28 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (21) is 25% smaller than its 8th grade class (28).
Student demographics
6%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 47% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Cowan Elementary School→Letcher County Central High School
Based on grade levels within Letcher County. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
43.8%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
37.5%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kentucky schools, those numbers are about 48 and 43.
Source: KSA (K-PREP). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
41.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.1%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% typical for Kentucky schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Kentucky's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Cowan Elementary School
Cowan Elementary School's state test result (41.5% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowan Elementary School this school | 246 | 78.0% | 41.5% |
| Bevins Elementary School Sidney | 236 | 78.0% | 65.1% |
| Flat Gap Elementary School Flatgap | 241 | 78.4% | 47.9% |
| Page School Center Pineville | 272 | 76.1% | 44.7% |
| Robinson Elementary School Ary | 278 | 76.6% | 62.3% |
| South Magoffin Elementary Salyersville | 208 | 77.9% | 43.4% |
Matched among Kentucky elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Cowan Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.5% | #388 of 669 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 37.5% | #438 of 668 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.8% | #449 of 674 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 246 | #634 of 744 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.7:1 | #329 of 674 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 6.3% | #627 of 674 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 78.0% | #140 of 721 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -29.1% | #39 of 437 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
246
-41 (-14%) vs 2020
-44% since 1990-91, when it was 439
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
was 13.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 246 | 16.7 | 14.7:1 | 78% (192) |
| 2023-24 | 244 | 16.5 | 14.8:1 | 78% (190) |
| 2022-23 | 254 | 18.6 | 13.7:1 | 64% (163) |
| 2020-21 | 287 | 21 | 13.7:1 | 77% (222) |
| 2017-18 | 347 | 26.1 | 13.3:1 | 75% (259) |
| 2015-16 | 394 | 28 | 14.1:1 | 76% (300) |
| 2010-11 | 451 | 27 | 16.7:1 | 67% (304) |
| 2000-01 | 327 | 16 | 20.4:1 | 72% (236) |
| 1990-91 | 439 | 24 | 18.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cowan Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 29% (347 to 246); teachers down 36% (26.1 to 16.7).
About Cowan Elementary School
Cowan Elementary School is a low-enrollment elementary school located in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The school had 246 students in pre-K through 8 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Kentucky is about 421, so this school runs 42% smaller than that.
The district for Cowan Elementary School is Letcher County, with 9 schools and 2,429 students.
Cowan Elementary School enrolls a student body that is 97% White. It is also 2% multiracial. For comparison, Letcher County is about 97% White. By the diversity index, Cowan Elementary School comes in at 6%.
Teacher staffing is 16.7 full-time equivalents, or about 14.7 students per teacher. Elementary schools in Kentucky have a similar average ratio of 15.4:1. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 78%. That is 8 points above the 70% average for public schools in Letcher County.
Cowan Elementary School is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 48% of Kentucky public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Cowan Elementary School scores 41.5% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 36.1%.
Across Letcher County, median household income is about $41,793, roughly 13% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 18%. The public schools of Letcher County number 11 and enroll about 2,882.
The nearest public school is Whitesburg Middle School, at about 1.8 miles. Cowan Elementary School has 5 other public schools within five miles. Cowan Elementary School comes in 4th of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Locale data from NCES put Cowan Elementary School in rural territory far from an urban area (Rural: Remote).
Cowan Elementary School saw enrollment fall 14% between 2020-21 and 2024-25. The number of students per teacher rose from 13.7 to 14.7 over 4 years.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Cowan Elementary School covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Letcher County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
20,808
Census ACS
Median income
$41,793
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
13%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
18%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
2,882 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Letcher County
- Letcher County Central High SchoolHigh · 692 students
- West Whitesburg Elementary SchoolElementary · 462 students
- Letcher Elementary & Middle SchoolElementary · 322 students
- Martha Jane Potter Elementary SchoolElementary · 273 students
- Whitesburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 191 students
- Fleming Neon Middle SchoolMiddle · 131 students
Other schools in Whitesburg
- Letcher County Central High SchoolHigh · 692 students
- West Whitesburg Elementary SchoolElementary · 462 students
- Martha Jane Potter Elementary SchoolElementary · 273 students
- Whitesburg Middle SchoolMiddle · 191 students
- Letcher County Alternative Education CtrHigh · 2 students
- Letcher County Area Technology CenterHigh
Other Cowan Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Cowan Elementary. Cowan Elementary School is the 4th largest of the 4.
- Cowan Elementary SchoolAUSTIN, TX · 555 students
- Cowan Elementary SchoolMuncie, IN · 409 students
- Cowan ElementaryCowan, TN · 260 students
Nearby schools
- Whitesburg Middle School1.8 mi · 191
- West Whitesburg Elementary School1.8 mi · 462
- Letcher County Alternative Education Ctr2.4 mi · 2
- Letcher County Central High School3.4 mi · 692
- Arlie Boggs Elementary School3.7 mi · 110
- Letcher Elementary & Middle School6.6 mi · 322
Frequently asked questions
About Cowan Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Cowan Elementary School?
Cowan Elementary School enrolls approximately 246 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Cowan Elementary School serve?
Cowan Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cowan Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cowan Elementary School is approximately 14.7:1 (17 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cowan Elementary School?
At Cowan Elementary School, the student body is approximately 97% White, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Cowan Elementary School public or private?
Cowan Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Letcher County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.